# President Bush must be a really proud Dad! **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [May 22, 2004, 7:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/president-bush-must-be-a-really-proud-dad/246552 "2004-05-22T19:02:36Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Metacom](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/ecae2f/32.png) [@Metacom](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Metacom)\ **Post date:** [May 22, 2004, 10:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/president-bush-must-be-a-really-proud-dad/246552/21 "2004-05-22T22:58:24Z")
> [@Aldebaran](#): > > No, we speak here of a degree that is not a “bachelor” (I had that after 2 years). We speak of a degree that gives you permission/possibility to start your doctorate (which you name Phd). > > So what degree do these girls have now? > > Salaam. A They most like have BA’s, or “Bachelor of Arts.” Degrees in the US go something like this: Associates: 2 years of full-time study after high school (high school is the last level of education in the US that is fully paid for by the state–typically someone is 18 when they complete high school). Common associates degrees would be “AA” or “AS” for associates of arts and sciences, respectively. Associates degrees are usually offered only by community colleges, and are usually only earned by people learning a skilled trade that doesn’t require four years (like some kinds of nursing) or people who will be transfering to a 4-year school where they can get a Bachelors degree. Bachelors Degree: 4 years of full time study (or 2 years if the degree earner already has an associates). This is what most college bound Americans are shooting for. People who study qualitative fields (English, Humanities, etc.) usually get a BA (Bachelor of Arts), people who study quantitative fields (engineering, the sciences, etc.) usually get a BS (Bachelor of Science). Masters Degree: At least two years of full-time study after the Bachelors degree. This is the lowest degree level where the student has to actually do something original (original research of some kind). Doctorate Degree: About 5 years of full-time study after a Bachelors degree (or less if a masters has been earned). There are plenty of exceptions and naming variations, but that’s the gist of it. I only have a BS, so I may be fuzzy and off on the higher degrees… ---
**Author:** ![Tuckerfan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/eada6e/32.png) [@Tuckerfan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tuckerfan)\ **Post date:** [May 22, 2004, 11:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/president-bush-must-be-a-really-proud-dad/246552/22 "2004-05-22T23:42:23Z")
> [@TVeblen](#): > > I agree. This is an invitation to flame, so I’m sending it on over to the Pit. > The Pit really _needs_ more political threads right now. > > Sick to death of this election, > TVeblen > IMHO mod **Hell** , _n_. A place of everlasting torment, much like the United States during an election year.—[_The American Heretic’s Dictionary_](http://search.barnesandnoble.com/OopBooks/UsedBook.asp?userid=2U74DK2VNA&ean=2782211463420). ---
**Author:** ![clairobscur](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/839c29/32.png) [@clairobscur](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/clairobscur)\ **Post date:** [May 22, 2004, 11:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/president-bush-must-be-a-really-proud-dad/246552/23 "2004-05-22T23:57:30Z")
Ok. I read the OP several times, but I still don’t get it. What is this rant about, exactly? ---
**Author:** ![Otto](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/bbe5ce/32.png) [@Otto](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Otto)\ **Post date:** [May 23, 2004, 12:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/president-bush-must-be-a-really-proud-dad/246552/24 "2004-05-23T00:02:44Z")
I gotta give props to the Bush twins, getting degrees in English and Humanities. From Dad’s tenure in office it’s obvious they didn’t learn at their father’s knee very much about either English or humanity. ---
**Author:** ![pepperlandgirl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/f17d59/32.png) [@pepperlandgirl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pepperlandgirl)\ **Post date:** [May 23, 2004, 12:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/president-bush-must-be-a-really-proud-dad/246552/25 "2004-05-23T00:08:10Z")
Maybe the OP is mocking people who get degrees in English and Humanities instead of more laudable subjects… Or maybe I’m just really sensitive right now, but that interp is just as valid as anything else right now… ---
**Author:** ![carnivorousplant](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnivorousplant/32/3563_2.png) [@carnivorousplant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carnivorousplant)\ **Post date:** [May 23, 2004, 12:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/president-bush-must-be-a-really-proud-dad/246552/26 "2004-05-23T00:14:25Z")
It is in bad taste for the daughter’s graduation to be celebrated when Bush has sent other people’s children to their death. ---
**Author:** ![Metacom](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/ecae2f/32.png) [@Metacom](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Metacom)\ **Post date:** [May 23, 2004, 12:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/president-bush-must-be-a-really-proud-dad/246552/27 "2004-05-23T00:16:43Z")
> [@carnivorousplant](#): > > It is in bad taste for the daughter’s graduation to be celebrated when Bush has sent other people’s children to their death. Are you serious, or mocking the OP? ---
**Author:** ![Gyrate](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gyrate/32/3588_2.png) [@Gyrate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gyrate)\ **Post date:** [May 23, 2004, 12:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/president-bush-must-be-a-really-proud-dad/246552/28 "2004-05-23T00:25:12Z")
Add me to the ranks of the confused. Yes, President Bush has every reason to be proud that his daughters have received their undergraduate degrees. I loathe the man and the majority of what his administration has done, but why the hell shouldn’t he be proud of his kids’ graduations? Unless you’re suggesting that they didn’t earn the degrees and were just given them because of Daddy, I say more power to them. Now go get jobs, ya spongers. 😉 ---
**Author:** ![carnivorousplant](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnivorousplant/32/3563_2.png) [@carnivorousplant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carnivorousplant)\ **Post date:** [May 23, 2004, 12:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/president-bush-must-be-a-really-proud-dad/246552/29 "2004-05-23T00:26:57Z")
The Arkansas 39th Infantry Brigade lost seven people a couple of weeks ago. I saw a woman who didn’t know if her son was alive or dead buying a newspaper. It really gripes my ass to hear about Bush’s children at this point in time. ---
**Author:** ![Guinastasia](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guinastasia/32/5751_2.png) [@Guinastasia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Guinastasia)\ **Post date:** [May 23, 2004, 12:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/president-bush-must-be-a-really-proud-dad/246552/30 "2004-05-23T00:30:51Z")
And how many years it takes to get one’s degree doesn’t equal more or less intelligence. I for one, took two years at a community college and transferred into a four year college as a sophmore. I also changed my major a few times, so I was 23 when I finally got my bachelor’s. Does that make me stupid, **Aldebaran**? :rolleyes: ---
**Author:** ![threemae](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/5f9b8f/32.png) [@threemae](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/threemae)\ **Post date:** [May 23, 2004, 12:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/president-bush-must-be-a-really-proud-dad/246552/31 "2004-05-23T00:55:16Z")
> [@](#): > > No, we speak here of a degree that is not a “bachelor” (I had that after 2 years). We speak of a degree that gives you permission/possibility to start your doctorate (which you name Phd). No, I think that he’s talking about himself here, and I think I want to say, “yeah.” A Bachelor’s degree comes first after high school, after that is a Masters, and a Masters gives you “permission” to start on your PhD., although a number of other options are becoming more common including straight to PhD. programs, combined M.D./PhD programs, the California Upstairs PhD purchase program (Hi Everyboodie!!!), and a litany of other options. At any rate, the Bush twins are 2 years ahead of schedule for the American system and around 3-4 years above “average” for when most people finish, usally due to an interuption of major switching experience a la **Guin**. ---
**Author:** ![Kallessa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/7993a0/32.png) [@Kallessa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kallessa)\ **Post date:** [May 23, 2004, 1:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/president-bush-must-be-a-really-proud-dad/246552/32 "2004-05-23T01:12:55Z")
Not only does the OP confuse me, but the sniping at **Aldebaran** really confuses me. I don’t see his post as being a put down of the Bush twins (after all, he said they were “only 20”, which implies he thinks they are young to finish a degree). Nor did he say anything about how long a course of study should take–in his system, he started at 17, and he earns a Masters in 4 years, a BA in two. Different country, different system. Why should he know anything about American educational systems? And didn’t he just ask abut the differences? Don’t rant at Aldebaran for making a perfectly innocuous post, rant at the OP who started a lackluster thread. ---
**Author:** ![Typo\_Negative](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/typo_negative/32/484_2.png) [@Typo\_Negative](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Typo_Negative)\ **Post date:** [May 23, 2004, 1:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/president-bush-must-be-a-really-proud-dad/246552/33 "2004-05-23T01:32:52Z")
> [@Gyrate](#): > > Add me to the ranks of the confused. Yes, President Bush has every reason to be proud that his daughters have received their undergraduate degrees. I loathe the man and the majority of what his administration has done, but why the hell shouldn’t he be proud of his kids’ graduations? Unless you’re suggesting that they didn’t earn the degrees and were just given them because of Daddy, I say more power to them. > > Now go get jobs, ya spongers. 😉 Agreed. If you wanna bitch about Bush, this isn’t the issue to use. There are many _valid_ ones to choose from. ---
**Author:** ![Happy\_Lendervedder](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/happy_lendervedder/32/8488_2.png) [@Happy\_Lendervedder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Happy_Lendervedder)\ **Post date:** [May 23, 2004, 1:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/president-bush-must-be-a-really-proud-dad/246552/34 "2004-05-23T01:35:27Z")
This could be the most confusing thread ever. I’m pretty sure no one here has any idea of what anybody else is talking about. Or maybe it’s just me. ---
**Author:** ![carnivorousplant](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnivorousplant/32/3563_2.png) [@carnivorousplant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carnivorousplant)\ **Post date:** [May 23, 2004, 1:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/president-bush-must-be-a-really-proud-dad/246552/35 "2004-05-23T01:38:44Z")
> [@spooje](#): > > Agreed. this isn’t the issue to use. Thanks for setting me straight. Q for Mod: Can you call someone “Dukey-butt” in the pit? ---
**Author:** ![Typo\_Negative](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/typo_negative/32/484_2.png) [@Typo\_Negative](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Typo_Negative)\ **Post date:** [May 23, 2004, 1:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/president-bush-must-be-a-really-proud-dad/246552/36 "2004-05-23T01:41:53Z")
> [@carnivorousplant](#): > > Thanks for setting me straight. > > Q for Mod: > Can you call someone “Dukey-butt” in the pit? Oh, don’t get me wrong. You _CAN_ use it. It just makes you look like a dweeb if you do. That’s all I’m saying. ---
**Author:** ![carnivorousplant](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnivorousplant/32/3563_2.png) [@carnivorousplant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carnivorousplant)\ **Post date:** [May 23, 2004, 1:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/president-bush-must-be-a-really-proud-dad/246552/37 "2004-05-23T01:49:03Z")
> [@spooje](#): > > You _CAN_ use it. Glad to have your permission. Oh, the woman’s child survived. It was someone else who died. Thanks for asking! ---
**Author:** ![Typo\_Negative](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/typo_negative/32/484_2.png) [@Typo\_Negative](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Typo_Negative)\ **Post date:** [May 23, 2004, 1:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/president-bush-must-be-a-really-proud-dad/246552/38 "2004-05-23T01:50:48Z")
Dweeb. ---
**Author:** ![TellMeI\_mNotCrazy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tellmei_mnotcrazy/32/3419_2.png) [@TellMeI\_mNotCrazy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TellMeI_mNotCrazy)\ **Post date:** [May 23, 2004, 1:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/president-bush-must-be-a-really-proud-dad/246552/39 "2004-05-23T01:59:19Z")
> [@milroyj](#): > > A Pit thread (the subject of which has been done to death), disguised as a poll. > > How very original, **SallyStar**. From what I can see, this thread originally started in IMHO. Perusing the other posts (all 19 of them) by **SallyStar** , I cannot see a single thing that would lead anyone to believe she was being anything other than sincere with her post. Note that I don’t dispute \*\*TVeblen’s \*\* decision to move it to the pit, since it became exactly what one would expect of a thread involving Bush. So if there is some reason why it’s believed \*\*SallyStar \*\* meant anything other than what she said, I’m open to hearing it. ---
**Author:** ![John\_Carter\_of\_Mars](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/2bfe46/32.png) [@John\_Carter\_of\_Mars](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_Carter_of_Mars)\ **Post date:** [May 23, 2004, 3:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/president-bush-must-be-a-really-proud-dad/246552/40 "2004-05-23T03:48:24Z")
My guess is that **Sally Star** is new here and hasn’t lurked much. She’s made the mistake of thinking her remark would be taken at face value, much as it would in most coffee shops _Somewhere in America_. She was not aware that typing “Bush” with a capital B here on SDMB would summon all the little fishes with their pointy little teeth, ready to shread her. Live and learn, Sally. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/president-bush-must-be-a-really-proud-dad/246552.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/president-bush-must-be-a-really-proud-dad/246552.md?page=3)